| BLACK-BLING-MDX |
ARRRRGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
so i go to start my car this morning... it's fine... go where i have to go and come back. Go to the car 1 hr later and I try to turn it on, guess what... it's dead... and they had just changed the battery @ 7500 and now i believe the truck is @ 9000 something. So I call AAA because it's better than calling TLC and they come, guy tries to jump the car, the battery won't take the jump. So we call TLC and they say that the guy from AAA can't tow it because they will not cover it. I b!tch and moan at them that the guy is already there, so why not? So I send him home. I call the dealership b!tch and moan, lol, not really but ask them what to do. Acura TLC was called around 5:00 pm, guy arrives at my house around 8:30pm with a flat bed, and u know what? IT WAS THE SAME GUY THAT AAA SENT, SAME COMPANY!! ARRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! I sent him home though because he came after 6 pm and i was not trusting him with my MDX. They're coming first thing in the morning and they better do a good job. This is my second battery, what's going on? What do you guys think it could be? Bad alternator? I've had the X for 8 months now... |
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| Lance Crowley |
As posted in a couple of earlier, this same thing has happened to me 3X now. Plus, when I tow the X behind my motor coach the battery dies within 12 hours. This problem has something to do with leaving the key in the #1 position.
In 2 of the cases where the battery just died someone gave me a jump. In the other case I called Acura and then sent someone out to do it.
In all cases everything is fine after the jump. The first time it happened I left the truck overnight in the garage and measured the voltage first thing in the AM and then all day until I had gone a total of 23 hours without starting it. Voltage remained solid at about 12.8. In this case the battery had gone dead in less than 8 hours.
Haven't approach Acura with the problem yet. One of those "if you can't show me what's wrong then I can't fix it deals". The only clue I have is that in each case the key was turned to the on position without starting the truck, I/we think.
When I first put this problem on this forum several people commented that they have had a similar problem. Sure would be helpful to get a count of those that have had the problem.
BLACK-BLING-MDX, do you have NAV in your X? I do and have wondered if that has something to do with it. Do have the trailer towing package?
I'm going to put an amp meter on the truck in the next couple of days and see if I can determine the source of the draw. I don't think it's the battery, rather something in the system that doesn't shut down, a relay that hangs or something in one of the computers that doesn't sent out the right signal.
Sure is frustrating to have a nearly new vehicle go down like this. |
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| perk |
| Do you have a 2003 model? I do and I'm having the same problem with the battery. There doesn't appear to be any real capacity to hold reserve charge. I live in an apartment building and unless I crank the car every 3-4 days, the battery goes completely dead. I don't have anything on except the alarm. There's no way that the battery should run down in anything less than a month. Oh well, I've had to jump start the car about 10 times in the last few months. I guess I'll have to go plead my case and get Acura to install a new battery. Wish me luck! |
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| EXCALIBUR |
BLACK-BLING-MDX,
I recall you having this battery problem when you first got your MDX. I hope you get this resolved. Please keep us informed. Good luck.:29: |
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| BlueStreak |
Mine just sat for 5 days while I was driving the convertible and cranked the X last Thursday with no problem whatsoever. I routinely leave my vette sitting for days and never experienced this problem either, and it has much more electronics than the X does.
The dealer should be able to measure battery drain when everything is off. They should also test the voltage regulator as well as alternator output to ensure the battery is being charged correctly. I would agree with you two bad batteries is probably not accurate. Something else is up.
Keep us posted. |
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| Captain MDX |
| Good thing I sold my X 6-7 months ago (forgot exactly). My Volvos battery died on July. That was the same battery I used since the car was bought, like 6 years ago!!! I actually should change it on February but I didn't listen. |
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| dboyce |
| My '02 MDX did the same thiing about a month ago--dead battery in the morning for no apparent reason. Jumped it and no more problems with the battery. BUt the day after the incident I noticed that the radiator fan was on well after the car had been stopped--at least an hour later. I know that some fans will stay on after ignition is off, but I have never heard MDX fan do this. I had to remove the fuse in order to get the fan to go off. I now think that the same thiing happened the night before, causing the battery to go dead. The problem has not occured since, so I have not taken the car into the dealer. ANyone else had this problem? |
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| BLACK-BLING-MDX |
| Just talked with Kevin, my Acura Tech... they have had the car for about 3 days now. They were able to replicate the problem, but after running all their tests, they are still not able to figure out what is causing the battery to die. They checked for stuff drawing the battery... nothing... I will ask him about the radiator fan dboyce, it can't hurt to check it out. He is talking to the upper echelon of Acura Service and they are STUMPED! Now, my question is, if they are not able to fix this problem, what will happen? Full refund? New car? NEW 2004 MDX?!?! (I MIGHT be pushing it there... hey can't hurt to dream! :2: ) So, what should I do guys? I've had a crappy Saturn for 3 days now, and finally they are upgrading me to Chevrolet Trailblazer... still a crappy truck... arrgh... Going to go pick up the trailblazer soon, should I call Acura Service headquarters or whatever? I want this fixed!!!!! arrgh!!!! or a new '04 X! :p |
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| m2pc |
| They need to figure out what it is as it is a real problem. Our '03 X sometimes sits anywhere from 2-4 days and we have never had any of the problems described, so that would tell me that either you got a bum battery, or as you probably already think, theres a drain somewhere. If they can't figure out the drain, they should compensate you. Why should you have to worry if the car will start or not, regardless if you put in a new battery. |
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| BLACK-BLING-MDX |
| I am shortly going to file a lemon claim. Wish me luck! Would this problem cause serious injury if it continues? Do you think the car could leave me stranded and/or stuck on the highway? This is the second time I am taking the car to the dealership. One more time, and I can file the lemon claim. |
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| BlueStreak |
I don't put much faith in Acura techline. My dealer called techline 3 times on why my passenger window took forever to go up and down. I told them the motor was bad and they said they'd check. After replacing every other possible part, they finally replaced the regulator (motor) and guess what - all fixed. Why techline went through all this is beyond me.
Something is draining the juice. I would question just how they tested/diagnosed this to draw this conclusion.
All I can tell you is to document everything. Keep us posted how this progresses. |
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| BLACK-BLING-MDX |
He said he ran the draw test like 5 times... :confused:
Tech said he's never seen this problem before, and Acura Engineers are stumped... :confused:
Lemon Law Time... '04 MDX Time... :p |
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| Lance Crowley |
| Not sure I understand. If you've got a draw that shouldn't be there wouldn't you start pulling fuses and/or disconnect things until you found the source of the draw? |
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| dboyce |
| Why would Acura give you a new '04 MDX because your battery has died twice? That will never happen. How do you know an '04 will not have the same problem? THey should fix your car, but I do not see why they would take your used truck on even exhange for abrand new one. And how had a dead battery ever injured someone? |
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| egurry |
Believe me, I feel your pain on this issue (see http://www.acuramdx.org/forums/show...&threadid=12162). I got so fed up with (1) Acura's inability to solve this problem, (2) the numerous other problems with my MDX and (3) the indifferent attitude of Acura Customer [we don't] Care, I filed a BBB / Autoline arbitration claim against Acura, which I just won. Acura must provide me with a replacement vehicle in exchange for a few thousand dollars.
Even that irks me, since the lemon law where I bought the car (Ohio) provides for a replacement free of charge. It's probably not worth it for me to pursue litigation over a few thousand dollars, but it's unconscionable the way the automakers have rigged the Autoline process to extort as much value from consumers as possible without encouraging a law suit. Make no mistake about it: the automakers created, wrote the rules for and fund Autoline. It's their baby, designed to serve their own purposes. They are counting on the fact that litigation is confusing, stressful and time consuming for most consumers, allowing them to “charge” us an extra few grand to avoid the trouble. Of course, the manufacturers are also avoiding the trouble and cost of litigation, but the consumers get no benefit from that.
My advise is this: do not waste too much time trying to get AHMC to take care of you. A couple of phone calls and one letter, tops. Then, file your arbitration claim immediately. The only thing AHMC responds to is the barrel of a gun. Generally, I think AHMC designs and builds great cars, but when the occasional lemon does roll off the line, BUYER BEWARE!
At the same time, start talking to lawyers about your case. That way, when the decision is handed down by the arbitrator, you will have already explored your options and will be in a position to respond within the 14-day window they allow you.
Good luck! |
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| BLACK-BLING-MDX |
quote:
Originally posted by dboyce
Why would Acura give you a new '04 MDX because your battery has died twice? That will never happen. How do you know an '04 will not have the same problem? THey should fix your car, but I do not see why they would take your used truck on even exhange for abrand new one. And how had a dead battery ever injured someone?
Uhh, they're not going to GIVE me the '04 MDX. I'm saying that if it is a lemon, with the money they refund me, I can buy an '04 MDX. They claim the problem to be the alternator, but wouldn't they have ruled that out with a simple voltimeter check? Shouldn't it go up about 3 amps with the car on, and stay at aroud 12 volts with the car off? I think they're just going to blindly change it and hope that it will work. They claim they've never seen this... they've never seen an alternator go bad? I highly doubt it's the alternator, because the battery would have been dead a long time ago... If it goes bad again, I will pursue the lemon law. Equrry, could you please PM me with a more detailed summary of your ordeal, like the process of the Lemon Law and everything in Ohio? Thanks! |
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| BlueStreak |
I would agree with you they've "never seen" a battery drain problem as crapola. Cars have electronics and every electronics mfg/installer has seen this problem before. Probably something as simple as a pinched wire or bad ground. 5 times they performed a drain test - not sure I buy that.
You might try a different Acura dealer, one who has more experience. I found with my vette some dealers can't fix anything, while some are simply outstanding. I know it's not your job to "find" a dealer.
As previous posts mention, hold-on and be prepared for a rough ride going through arbitration. They will try to wear you down so you just get so frustrated you compromise to get it over with. |
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| jat3 |
quote:
Probably something as simple as a pinched wire or bad ground. 5 times they performed a drain test - not sure I buy that.
I agree. Happening to you once, probably just bad luck. but twice, I mean they should start tracing some current sucker.
Reminds me of a guy I knew, that did a DYI install of a CD changer, and had a "not so good" grounding...damned thing sucked his battery big time. |
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| Lance Crowley |
BLACK-BLING-MDX
Any more info on your dead battery problem? |
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| BLACK-BLING-MDX |
| oh hey guys! yeah got the mdx back a few days ago, they couldn't pinpoint the exact problem so they just replaced the alternator. So far so good, but haven't driven it that much. If it happens again, definitely filing for lemon law! they said that acura service engineers said to replace the alternator... hopefully they're right... |
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| frostyra |
| That's a pretty good possibility; I had one car that suddenly started killing batteries, and it turned out that the field coil in the alternator was drawing 4 amps constantly, with the ignition on or off. Replaced the alternator, and problem solved! |
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| BLACK-BLING-MDX |
| Frostyra... the only problem with that is that when they ran the draw test, they could not find anything! Everything checked out normal. Happening twice as jat3 said is not a fluke, something is wrong. One more time and lemons will be flying... :rolleyes: |
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| hopeitsfriday |
| Might be a relay getting stuck once a while. It may be a tough one to find. An Amp recorder may do the trick, or just isolate it a suspicious sub system and change all the associated relays and sensors, Good Luck. |
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| MDX4now |
I had a similar problem with my wife's old old old 1988 Plymouth Grand Voyager LE. Unfortunately, I didn't realize this problem until my van was a year old and too late to file the lemon law.
Anyway, we realized when we got back from our 1989 Disney vacation that the car wouldn't start. Then it happened again, and again, and again whenever it wasn't driven everyday. 8 years later, numerous dealership visits, and independent shop visits nothing could be found wrong.
No one could ever find out what was wrong. We went through new batteries, alternators, you name it, nothing was ever found. So when we left on a vacation, we'd have to have family friends or neighbors drive the van for at least 10-20 minutes a day so it wouldn't be dead upon our return. Other than that though :rolleyes: the van was fine.
After 8 years, we got a 1996 Chrysler Town & Country LXi (bought), then a 2000 Chrysler Town & Country Limited (leased), and now the MDX. It was time for a change since the Chrysler's really hadn't changed much and we were getting tired of vans after 15 years.
I don't know if I'd buy another one now though, because the Chrysler's resale has gone in the dumps. They would make great 1 year old second owner cars. Let someone else take the depreciation hit. Too bad too, because the vans almost have more bells and whistles than the Acura. Heck, even an Alpine DVD navigation system is standard on the new Town & Country Limiteds which can be had for around $31,000.
While our lease with the most recent Town & Country was fine in terms of our negotiated price and residual value ($20,400), Chrysler Financial took a huge hit because when we turned it in, the van was only worth $14,900 in the real market. I guess the domestic minivan market dropped out from under Chrysler's feet during the duration of our lease.
While I'm glad I leased the Chrysler for obvious reasons, I like again having the peace of mind of owning the Acura and knowing it will last a long time, with it being a Honda and all. Although the no trade-in and full $43,000 price tag did take a hit on the ole' wallet.
Anyway, hope this is resolved, but if not, check out your options before it's too late! |
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| BlueStreak |
quote:
Originally posted by BLACK-BLING-MDX
Frostyra... the only problem with that is that when they ran the draw test, they could not find anything! Everything checked out normal. Happening twice as jat3 said is not a fluke, something is wrong. One more time and lemons will be flying... :rolleyes:
Are you saying they just NOW tested the alternator? And they have already tested the battery, right? If the battery is good, alternator/voltage regulator is good, then I suppose Gremlins must be stealing the juice.
Keep us posted... |
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| perk |
I posted earlier on this forum. Yesterday, I found my battery dead again after sitting just a few days. As with the last few times, the battery was totally dead. I called Acura 24hr Roadside (again) and they sent someone for a jumpstart. Took X directly to the dealer and made the decision to go straight to service manager for discussion. He asked if the battery was a Delphi. I said that I didn't know and we went to check it. Sure enough, it was a Delphi. The mngr said that he had received some sort of bulletin on Delphi batteries in some sort of Acuras (not sure if it was the X).
Based on the bulletin, he did me the favor of simply replacing the battery after he did a couple of checks on the alternator and electrical system. The installed a new Honda battery. Not sure but I believe he did a drain check to ensure that no draining current was present. So long story short, I got a new battery and, I hope, the problem is fixed.
BTW. I bought this X in Charlotte, a place I otherwise consider full of very nice people. For some reason, the folks working at the Charlotte Acura dealership often tended towards being ... not so nice. Surprisingly, however, the folks at Radley Acura in Arlington, VA (or at least the service manager himself) were very nice and very helpful. I find that especially surprising because the city of Arlington is otherwise full of people tending to be ... not so nice. |
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| BLACK-BLING-MDX |
well yet again it has happened again...
went to the mdx today... turned it on... took me three times to turn it on... it would make the clicking sound, not the whirring, but like the engine clicking... turned on fine after the third time, i crossed my fingers and hoped it was a fluke...
went to the mall later on... came back to my car about an hour later... tried turning it on, click click click... nothin... third time it started... third time's the charm eh? arrgh :3:
should I take it into Acura? right away? |
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| frostyra |
Now THAT sounds like a bad (or loose) connection. The most usual suspects would be one of the battery terminals, or the opposite end of either wire that connects to the battery. A starter will draw over 100 amps when turning an engine, and that requires pristine connections.
If you can do so, try turning on the headlights when starting the car, and have someone else watch the lights. If it's one of the bad connections mentioned above, the lights will go out, or at least get very dim. If it still does the click-click but the lights don't dim, or dim very little, then it's probably the starter or its solenoid (built-in, I believe), or one of the connections at the starter.
Good luck!!! |
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| perk |
| This may sound obvious, but did they replace the battery yet? I posted on here earlier and mentioned that I had the same problems and all I needed was a new battery. The Delphi battery in many MDXs apparently has a real problem. |
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| BLACK-BLING-MDX |
| yes they did replace the battery... taking it in today... we'll see what happens... |
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| perk |
| Good luck and please let us know what happens. |
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| skirkish |
I've had my 2003 MDX for about 5 months now, and have also experienced the battery-dead-after-a-week (of non-use) problem. I recently took it into Acura, and they couldn't find a problem (no drains, all systems checked OK, although they did replace the battery.) Later that week, same problem, although it died much more quickly.
We did discover one "bug" ("feature"?) of the car that I think may be a culprit. In my car, if you leave the seat heaters on after turning off the car, they remain one. Well, that's not precisely accurate. What happens is that they turn off with the engine, but when the cabin lights dim to darkness (after about 10 seconds,) they turn back on! This bizarre behavior can drain the battery in a few short days. And, because of the location of the heater switches, it's pretty easy to accidently turn them on without knowing it, as say you're getting out of the car and you bump a water bottle into a switch (OK, it *could happen :-P )
Has anyone seen this behavior? And, if soo, could it explain some of the problems? I haven't had another opportunity to park the car with the heaters off to see if the drain is otherwise occuring... |
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| Lance Crowley |
| I'll check out the power draw, going through the conditions outlined, on Sunday and post the results. |
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| 4myMDX |
Does anyone know what the otcome was for BLACK- BLING -MDX?
Getting my car in the middle of the month and I'm getting very nervous reading about these problems |
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| perk |
quote:
Originally posted by skirkish
We did discover one "bug" ("feature"?) of the car that I think may be a culprit. In my car, if you leave the seat heaters on after turning off the car, they remain one. Well, that's not precisely accurate. What happens is that they turn off with the engine, but when the cabin lights dim to darkness (after about 10 seconds,) they turn back on! This bizarre behavior can drain the battery in a few short days.
After reading this I wanted to say Ah HAH!! But then I thought about it for a moment and realized that the problem wasn't that and couldn't be that for me. I never use the seat heaters, and even if I did, my battery has always died after only 10-20 minutes of radio use on ACC, even when the X was new. I'm absolutely positive the problem in my car was the battery. What I'm not positive of is why the battery was the problem.
It's possible, although unlikely, that the seat heaters drained it dead so many times that the battery became weak and lost its reserve capacity. I don't know the answer, but I can tell you that the new battery hasn't given me any problems at all. In fact, I left the radio on for more than 2 hours last weekend while I was installing the foglights on my X. I also turned the lights on and off for long periods to adjust and the X cranked right up after all that with no problems. Never could have done that with the original battery, even when new.
In any event, I'd like to know more as details become available. Skirkish please let us know more as you can. Thanks. |
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| BLACK-BLING-MDX |
so they couldn't find anything this time, the MDX was in the shop for about 10 days. What they did do was extend the warranty to 75,000 miles... good enough? eh... i still want to file it as a lemon but they say that this problem is TOTALLY different... different how? bullsh!it... it still has to do w/ the battery...
1. Replace Battery
2. Replace Alternator
3. Did nothing, apparently a different problem that they couldn't replicate. |
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| egurry |
quote:
Originally posted by BLACK-BLING-MDX
... What they did do was extend the warranty to 75,000 miles...
Yes, they tried to get me to "hush up" with a free 75k extended warranty, too. I took, but told them I'd be back if the problem resurfaced... which, of course, it did.
Hang on to those service records and call logs... |
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| Lance Crowley |
skirkish:
Finally had a chance to go through your scenario regarding the heated seats. I could not find any situation where there was power draw with the key in the 0 or off position, once the interior lights went off. The only situation I've found where there is a power draw is if the cooling fans are running after turning off the key (draws about 33 amps), the fans go off after the temp is below a certain point. The other is if there's anything plugged into the power outlets. Not sure, but, the outlets are fused for a low draw, about 5 amps, if I remember right.
Appears you have an atypical problem. |
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| skirkish |
Thanks for your investigation, Lance. Since I've been driving the MDX almost every day recently, I haven't had a chance to check for any othere anomolous power draws (save for the seat heaters). Guess I'll go back to the dealership for the seat heater problem - maybe a wiring or logic problem of some bizarre sort.
When I get to a time where the truck will be idle for a while, or when I can otherwise check the power situation, I'll post an update. |
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| BLACK-BLING-MDX |
BUMP
let's see if this one helps... this was the second thread i started about my battery problem... so all of you that looked through the first thread about the TLC... look through this one too!
BUMP! |
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| skirkish |
OK, finally have an update on my battery drain problem. We've used the vehicle almost daily since they swapped out the reported-flawed Delphi battery for a better one. After a 10-day holiday, we returned to find the battery voltage at 0.7V. Had enough - took the vehicle in, told them to find the problem (got EVAP-recall done at same time.) Also mentioned problem with seat heaters turning back on after car was turned off and cabin lights dimmed (see previous post).
Prestige Acura (Santa Rosa, CA) worked diligently for two days until they tracked down the problem. Kudos to them for the troubleshooting and telephone updates - they were great. They found three problems, caused by one source. A connector on some cable on the passenger side of the car had a bent pin that was shorting against an adjacent pin or two. This caused two control units - the driver's side (main) and passenger's side (secondary) multiplexer units to fail. The failure of the main multiplexer caused the seat heater weirdness, but upon replacing that unit, the cabin lights would never turn off. Anyway, I'm guessing that the failures of these units plus the short in the cable was enough to lead to a battery drain problem. I have not had the opportunity to verify, but I'm cautiously optimistic.
As a side note, another problem that got fixed has to do with the "Auto" mode on headlights. In Auto mode, when I turned off the MDX, the lights stayed on. I open the door to get out, lights go off. Close the door, and the headlights go back on! Truly annoying, but fixed with these repairs (i.e. Headlights stay off when door is closed.
Hope this helps some folks! If you need more information, contact Fred in the service department at Prestige Acura. |
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